


Golden eagle

by Cherrydragon26



Category: Otoyomegatari | The Bride's Stories
Genre: A lot of thoughts about them, And so am I with this manga, Because Tileke is obsessed, Eagle hunting competitiom, Eagles, Gen, Or hawks, Tileke finally gets her own eagle, time jumps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-07-27 07:46:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16214606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cherrydragon26/pseuds/Cherrydragon26
Summary: Amira brings Tileke along with her when she visits Karluk.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own this manga or any of the characters they all belong to Kaoru Mori( my God), who thought of them first. I am just borrowing them, and I promise I won't do anything bad to them, so please spare me!

When Amira returned from visiting Karluk, and separated Tileke from the others, she could have never guessed what Amira was going to tell her. "Karluk has a golden eagle?! And he is training her to hunt with him?", to say Tileke was jealous would be an understatement. She hadn't even waited for a beat, but immediately went to her mother and father and asked:" Next time Amira goes to Karluk, can I go too?".

Her parents looked confused, and when Amira appeared in the room, wearing a teasing smile, they turned to her looking for an explanation. "I just told Tileke that Karluk has a golden eagle and is hunting with it", there was amusement in her voice, and her smile grew when Seleke's  eyes widened in surprise and suspicion. Turning her head toward Tileke, she glared at her and firmly said:" No".

Tileke's face feel, and she was on the verge of crying, instead hoping that with pleading and nagging she will somehow succeed in getting her way. She had carried on with it for months on end, and seeing her mother losing the will to fight, she pressed on without a pause. Amira had sided with her sometimes, but she was fighting by herself mostly.

After a long and exhausting fight, her mother finally caved in and one day cursed her stubborn daughter and exclaimed:" Alright, Tileke you win! Go with Amira when she goes to visit Karluk! See if I care!", she fumed, and quickly paced outside the room. A big smile appeared on Tileke's face, and she pumped her fist in the air. Shouting in delight, the small girl ran to Amira and told her what had happened.

A beautiful smile spread across Amira's face and she said after Tileke's winning speech:" Great. Next time I go, I will bring you along. It's a deal". Tileke has never been happier in her entire life.

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Karluk was standing before her with his golden eagle on his hand. Tileke looked at the eagle with wonder and respect, she rarely showed to anyone else. Her eyes watered, but she brushed her tears off and looked up at Karluk, asking quietly:" She is beautiful. Can I maybe hold her or touch her?".

Her voice was full of restrained hope, and Joruk laughed at her, while Azel had something that looked like a smile on his face. "I never saw someone looking at an eagle like that before! Little girl, you look at her, like she is a treasure!", Joruk continued to laugh, before Amira elbowed him in the gut making him groan in pain. Giving him a warning glare, she placed her hand on Tileke's shoulder and said encouragingly:" As long as Karluk says yes it is alright. So what do you say Karluk? Are you going to let Tileke hold onto your eagle for a bit?".

Tileke looked at Karluk in anticipation, praying to all gods she knew, he would let her. Looking at Amira and then at Tileke, Karluk slightly nodded and gave her the glove. Tileke squeaked and grabbed the glove, putting it on and following the eagle with her eyes while she flew to her hand and landed perfectly, her claws digging into the glove.

The little girl could feel the eagle's weight, marveling at her wings, eyes, beak and claws. She knew how eagles looked like, but it couldn't compare to what she was seeing right now. Looking at Karluk's eagle up close, left her breathless and speechless, and she knew she will never forget this experience as long as she lives.

"She is called Oksuz", Karluk told her looking fondly at the eagle, and then moving closer and taking Amira's hand in his own. Amira returned the gesture and smiled at Karluk, while Tileke could only nod at Karluk's answer too concentrated on the eagle and not seeing or hearing anything else around her.

"We should return now, it is getting late", Azel told all of them, and without waiting turned around and started on the path back to the village. The rest followed him shortly after. Tileke handed Oksuz to Karluk, making a disappointed face, which made Karluk laugh and pat her on the head.

 

**Couple of hours later.....**

 

They were all cramped together, Amira, Karluk and Tileke, closely cuddling with one another to warm up. It was proving to be a cold night and they all decided to come closer so they could warm their bodies up. While laying like that, Tileke between Amira and Karluk, and slowly falling to sleep, Amira giggled and brushed Tileke's hair fondly.

Tileke blinked and looked up at her, feeling Amira combing with her fingers through Tileke's hair. "You know if I knew how happy this would make you, I would have brought you along sooner. It happened by accident really. Listening to Karluk speaking about Oksuz I remembered you and your love for eagles. I asked if I should bring you along to see the eagle. At first Karluk was hesitant, but after some convincing, he finally agreed. Aren't you glad I brought you?", Amira asked, and hugged Tileke tighter, making her squirm a little to get comfortable.

Tileke sleepily answered:" Yeah I am very glad I came. Thank you so much Amira. I will never forget it", and she gave her a beaming smile, but she wasn't sure Amira could see it in the dark. But it doesn't really matter much. She snuggled closer to Amira, and feeling Karluk put his arm around her she slowly fell into sleep, feeling as happy as she could be.

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Some time has passed. Not many things had changed, but some things did. It was supposed to be a normal day in the lives of Eihon family, but the return of Henry and a beautiful women beside him changed all the plans the family had for the day. They all sat down and talked to Smith and Talas ( as she has later found out was the womens name) about their many adventures and discoveries.

Tileke was sewing and listening, while Amira laughed at some joke Henry told her, tugging her child closer to her chest. Karluk was beside her, patting the kids head, and nodding along. Talas was talking to other women, smiling gently, her hand still grasped over Henry's hand. He didn't seem to mind and neither did she, while everyone else just looked at it with amusement and congratulated them with smiles on their faces.

Tileke wasn't really interested in their conversation until Smith mentioned gifts. Jerking her head up, she looked at him in anticipation, waiting patiently for her turn, while her brothers jumped around him and fought who will get the present first. "Where is Rostem?", Smith asked and Seleke answered:" He is with the wood carver. He will come back later".

When her turn has come, she impatiently ran over to Henry and waited for him to get the present out of his bag. "I couldn't really give you a golden eagle, because your mother would be furious at me, and it would be hard to carry it around with me. But I got the next best thing". He took out a hood that you cover the eagles eyes with, and Tileke beamed, thanking him a thousand times over and jumping in joy around the room.

Her mother tried to calm her down with no success, and Tileke ran around the neighborhood bragging about what Henry had bought her, and how she will use it on a golden eagle one day. Some people teased her, others looked curious, and some huffed in disapproval, but all of that didn't matter to Tileke.

What she had told them she believed in with all her heart. And she knew she was serious. Tileke would one day get her own golden eagle. Either buying it or capturing it, it wouldn't matter to her, as long as she had that magnificent bird beside her, she knew she didn't want anything as much as that.

After Smith and Talas went away, and everything turned back to everyday routine, Seleke noticed that Talas had yet again started to sew only eagles for her trousseau. She groaned, and hoped that one day Tileke would grow out of her love for eagles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple of notes concerning this story:
> 
> 1\. In the translated manga that I have, they said that Tileke really likes hawks. But continuing the story, the author mentioned the golden eagle and Karluk getting one from Azel. I think Tileke would probably be fascinated by this bird too, so I decided to use this word while writing. And as I mentioned when you read 'the eagle' in this story, it is not 'the eagle' that you first think of. Google the phrase golden eagle, and you will know what I mean.  
> 2\. The wood carver that I mentioned is the old man from Chapter 2 (Charm) from the manga. I don't remember if they told us his name, or what his real job is, so I just used what sounded the best. If you know more about it, tell me so I could change it.  
> 3\. I am thinking about writing a sequel that would follow Tileke while she goes to eagle hunting competition. And yes that does exist I looked it up. I am not sure if it existed in that time, but I do still think it would be an interesting story to write.
> 
> (I wrote it! Just click next chapter and read it! You will surely like it, at least I hope so).


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tileke finally goes on the eagle hunting competition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said I delivered! Here is the second chapter following Tileke now much older going to the eagle hunting competition.
> 
> If there are any mistakes, they are my own. Point them out so I could repair them.

On the plain valley that was white from snow, a lone figure riding a horse could be seen. The wind was strong scattering snow and ice all around, and the snow was knee-deep, and sticky which made passage hard. But that didn't seem to faze the rider, while she continued forward to her destination, not stopping at nothing. Tileke had seen cold winters, but she just wasn't used to this much wind, which made her teeth clatter from cold. She enveloped her coat tighter, hoping she will come soon to her destination.

It would be a shame not to finish her journey now, just because of bad weather ( really bad weather), so Tileke clenched her teeth, tightened her hands and kicked her leg over the horses hips. The horse didn't seem to react to it at all, not moving slower or quicker than before, but at least he was still moving was what  Tileke thought,  looking at the sky and trying to find her eagle. For a long time now she was looking for it, and running around trying to catch a couple of specimens for herself, without much success true, but she didn't give up. Finally spotting it, she smiled and yelled into the wind, trying to hasten her horse forward. "Wait for me eagle, you will soon be mine! I promise you that!".

This was maybe the hardest thing she had ever done, and the lack of sleep and food, wasn't really helping her cause, but it was also the most fun she had in a long time. Tileke was so glad she succeeded at making her mother and father let her on this journey ( which wasn't easy, let me tell you), because she didn't regret it. She didn't regret it one bit. She didn't regret it at all. And that was the only thing that was important to her. Except of course, catching the eagle, she was chasing right now. But she will come to it at one point. For now the journey is all it matters, and what a journey it is.

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Tileke rode her horse toward the open plain, where all the other participants gathered. Coming down from the horse, she started to check if she prepared everything necessary for the hunt, and also she checked if her eagle was okay. The girl was just tightly pulling on the saddle, when she suddenly heard a man shout.

"You have come for the eagle festival?", asked the old man, and Tileke nodded excitedly. He gave her a curious smile and asked:" First time?". Tileke nodded again, and that is when he volunteered to help her get around and answer all her questions about everything. He introduced himself and said his name was Halim. Tileke thanked him, she left the horse and her eagle with the young man that was there. She was really happy she met Halim. The girl believed she would manage to take care of everything alone, but a little help was never a bad thing.

He gave her a few tips for the competition, and also introduced her to the other people that lived in the village all of them friendly and smiling. "This is my son. He is also going to participate in the eagle hunting for the first time", Halim said pointing at the young man that was before Tileke. He lowered his head and Tileke did the same. Giving her a bright smile he extended his hand and said:" I hope we have a good competition. Good luck to you".

Tileke blushed a little and answered:" Yes, I agree. I hope so too. And also good luck to you too". The young man with whom she left her horse and eagle, came over to them and announced the competition is going to start soon so they should come and prepare. ' _It is starting, I am so excited for it'_ , thought Tileke while she followed the young man, Halim's son close behind. 

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Tileke petted Badr her eagle, while trying to calm down and think about something else. ' _This is so harder than I thought it would be. Oh why, why do I feel so nervous right now?'_

She also tried to pet her horse and calm him down, because with so much people around, he was feeling restless. "There, there it will be alright. All of this is going to end soon, so just be patient for a while", she whispered, not sure if she was trying to calm down the horse or herself. "Are you saying that to the horse or yourself?", asked the youthful man, who she recognized as the Halim's son. The young girl sighed and turned around, Badr moving a bit on her arm, changing his position slightly and letting out a sound.

The man turned his gaze toward her eagle, and smiled coming a bit closer and asking:" Beautiful bird. What is her name?". Extending his hand, he showed me his eagle and said:" This is Bahiyya". Tileke giggled and said:" You sure are modest. Naming your eagle beautiful". He averted his gaze, his cheeks coloring a pale red. Shrugging his shoulders he added:" What can I say? It's just how I am. I just adore her, and I do find her the most beautiful bird I have ever seen", he confessed, Tileke finding that extremely endearing.

"This is Badr. I named her after the night that I caught her, when there was a full moon on the sky", Tileke looked at her eagle with adoration, while it was the younger man's turn to laugh. "How romantic", he said and Tileke turned to him and flashed him a smile answering:" Isn't it?". They stood for a couple of minutes in silence, until the man broke it with:" Well, it was nice talking to you. I have to go prepared now. See you around".

He turned around and started to walk away, until Tileke shouted, making him stop:" Thank you!". Looking at her with confusion he asked:" For what?". "For making me calm down, and for helping me relax", Tileke stated, hoping she didn't just presume or imagine the reason he approached her. But as soon as he smiled, she knew she guessed it right:" It was my pleasure". His figure slowly blended with other people walking around, and Tileke sighed again, now feeling much braver and much more ready for the challenge. She climbed on her horse and said to herself:" Let's go do this. I am ready", making her horse gallop and she followed the other competitors to the agreed place.

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The competition was starting. The horse was galloping across the field, carrying the fox skin, while the competitors took off the hood from their eagles and tried to explain where the fox skin was. Tileke did the same looking into Badr's eyes and talking to her. She explained the direction where the skin was, she told her what she had to do, she pointed in the horses direction, hoping she could see it. And when she felt the eagle perk up in preparation to fly, she hurled her up, and followed the eagle with her eyes, taking small steps forward.

The sky was white like snow, and Tileke felt lost in all this space. For a moment she forgot all about the competition, the horse, the fox skin, she just gazed at Badr, feeling at awe with the way she flies. The eagle looks so beautiful in the sky, while flying, the feeling must be exhilarating. It must be so freeing, if only she could do the same. At that moment she felt jealous of Badr, and maybe that is the reason she always liked birds, especially eagles a lot.

She was also craving for the skies, she was craving for that freedom that only flight could bring. However she is never going to experience it. But if nothing else looking at her eagle right now is the closest thing to that feeling. Because she was one with her, she was one with Badr. What Badr saw, Tileke could see too, what Tileke felt Badr felt too. At least that is how it should be. The eagle and it's holder. Breathing and living as one. One entity, one being. One with the nature. One with the universe.

When she saw Badr descending toward the fox skin, Tileke let out a happy sound, knowing that her eagle pulled through and found what they were looking for. She could move on to the second faze of the competition, and Tileke felt proud at her eagle. When Badr came back, Tileke gave her a treat and complimented her performance that wasn't lacking at all. Looking around she could see Bahiyya coming to the man, and him smiling widely and petting her on the head. 

Tileke felt happy for him , because she now knew he succeeded too, and for that she was grateful. She didn't really want to admit it, but she found him likable. Tileke wasn't sure why, but for now she didn't really have time to think about it. Passing through many people, horses and eagles she set her eyes on the next stage and walked with her head held high.

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Now she had to send her eagle after the living, breathing target in this case a fox. Unlike the last time, she had to join the hunt too, with the help of Badr. Walking around the snow and coldness seeping into her bones, it didn't make it easy, but Tileke was persistent. Giving a command to Badr, she set off and tried to catch the fox as fast as she could. Badr was flying high above the girls head, while Tileke tried to follow the eagle as fast as she could, down on the ground. 

Tileke was not sure how long they were chasing the fox, but it felt like hours to her, until finally she could see Badr aligning with the fox and grabbing it, with her claws. Tileke ran over to the animals and called  Badr over, while she looked the fox over for scars or some cuts. Finding none, she stood up, and went over to the group of people who finished the trial as she did. Seeing a man coming near her, and extended his hand, she knew he was one of the villagers she met before. He congratulated her on the successful hunt, praising her skill and the skill of her eagle.

Tileke thanked him and the man added:" You aren't the winner, but you did pretty good for a beginner. Actually you did great for a beginner. You and the Halim's son were our only beginners and you both did great", the man concluded, squeezing her hand tighter, Tileke returning the grip. "So he did well too?", Tileke asked meaning the Halim's son.

"Yes, I did. Do you want to hear it?". Tileke heard a voice behind her, and when she turned around she already knew she would see him. A big smile was plastered on his face, Bahiyya standing still on his arm."So how was it?", Tileke asked, putting a hood on Badr. " I did alright, even though you finished before I did. You are much better than I thought you would be. I must say I am impressed".

"Aren't you now? Well I am glad for you, and I am also pretty proud of myself too. This was a fun experience, I enjoyed it immensely. You?". 

"Yeah, I had fun too. You know I never asked for your name. If you don't mind would you tell me?", he asked, and she nodded, giving him a bright smile. "My name is Tileke, the daughter of Seleke and Yusuf. You, what is your name?", pointing at him, Tileke watched him laugh, putting her hand on her hip, glaring at the young man for making her wait. "My name is Fatin. I am the son of Halim and Karima. Nice to meet you". 

He extended his hand and Tileke took it, squeezing tight and giving him a small smile:" Nice to meet you too", the anger disappearing from her face. Badr and Bahiyya made a high pitched sound, which almost seemed like their way of presenting and meeting each other. The sky may have been white still, and the cold wind wasn't stopping, but at that moment, Tileke couldn't have felt warmer or better even if she tried. And really that was all she was looking for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are interested in it here is the article about eagle hunting: https://birdinflight.com/reportage/20170111-hunting-with-golden-eagles-in-kazakhstan.html
> 
> Badr-Means "full moon" in Arabic  
> Bahiyya-Means "beautiful" in Arabic  
> Halim-Means "patient, tolerant, mild" in Arabic  
> Fatin-Means "intelligent" in Arabic


End file.
